100 Views of Edo # 104 by Ando Hiroshige

Artist: Ando Utagawa Hiroshige (1787-1858)

Woodblock Print Title: Koume Embankment (Koumezutsumi), from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)

1st Publication: February 1857

Size: 13 1/4 x 8 5/8 + Margins as shown (33.6 x 22.2 cm + margins as shown)

Date of this edition: February 1857

Publisher: Uoya Eikichi

Condition: Colors faded, left margin partially trimmed affecting the seals, some rubbing in the bottom of the print and thins in the upper corners.

More about this print: We stand looking north from the embankment of the Yotsugi-dōri Canal near its beginning in Koume village. There is scarcely any sign of productive activity on this bright winter's day. No boats are in sight. The tone is set rather by the two children playing with puppies in the immediate foreground to the right—much less concerned about the cold, it would seem, than the two bundled women crossing the bridge. The trees with withered leaves in the foreground to the right are black alders (hannoki). The black alder grew quickly in this wet, low-lying area and was useful not only to prevent erosion on the canal embankment but also to hang rice for drying after the fall harvest.

Pictures: Pictures are taken outdoor, in the shade, to reflect true colors, without any enhancements of any kind. The last picture is taken indoor, with a light behind the print, to reveal the exact paper grain, holes if any, or other possible flaws.